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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · plane · pitch · ball · shower · hand · court · safe

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — for golf
  4. court — of law
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a great time
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. club — for dancing
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. court — of a king
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ball — a dance
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — for sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. club — a group
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com